In Olhão you have the possibility to enjoy and make the most of Ria Formosa through a boat trip, tours and other activities regarding nature and wildlife you find in the Natural Park:

Natura Algarve ((Doca do Recreio de Faro) Avenida da República- Stand 2. ☎ +351 918 056 674 (info@natura-algarve.com [3] Open every day throughout the year from 09:00 AM to 20:00 PM. Natura Algarve is an ecotourism company in the Algarve that organizes boat trips, birdwatching and other ecotourism activities in the Ria Formosa Nature Park, which are available all year with several daily departures from the towns of Olhão and Faro.

Ria Shopping - in Olhão with 3 floors of shops and restaurants, a cinema, supermarket and children's play area. It's easy to get to (always a bonus!) - just follow the EN125 through the town and it is on the left if you are coming from the Faro side of town. There are lifts and escalators making access simple for everyone.

The gastronomy of Olhão is bound to be mainly based around fish and seafood. The lagoons of the ilhas provide excellent nurseries for clams(amêijo), cockles (berbigão) and oysters (ostras), and the sea provides an abundance of fresh fish. Olhão was one of the first major canning areas for tuna and sardines and the fishing fleet continue to land their catches every day at the dock.

There are so many ways of preparing the fish and many of the recipes come from the fishermen. Arroz de lingueirão (razor clam risotto), lulas com favas (squid with broad beans), chocos com tinto (cuttlefish in their ink), amêijões (clams) lightly cooked in wine and garlic - the variations are endless!

A lot of the wine sold in the Algarve comes from other parts of Portugal (for example from Bairrada in the north, Estremadura near Lisbon and Alentejo) but the Algarve does also produce its own wine, most of which comes from the Lagoa, Portimão and Tavira areas. Most restaurants will only have Portuguese wines on their wine list. The 'house' wine ("vinho da casa") in white ("branco") and red ("tinto") is nearly always a local Portuguese wine and good value. You can also opt for "vinho verde" which is a young 'green' wine, slightly sparkling, light and refreshing and goes very well with fish and chicken dishes, or rosé - Mateus rosé being the best known.